Excavator



- (No Model.)

0. A. WARREN.

EXGAVATOR Patented Mar. 29, 18%

ATENT FFICEQ CHARLES A. WVARREN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

EXCAVATOR.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,920, dated March 29, 1892. Application filed May 19, 1891. Serial No. 393,247- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. WARREN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavators; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to machines for excavating, ditching, &c., of the class in which an endless chain of buckets supported upon and suspended from a suitable platform and driven by an engine mounted thereon is employed for excavating, elevating, and discharging the material.

The present machine is more particularly adapted for leveling ground by cutting down banks and hills.

My apparatus may be generally described as consisting of a base-frame mounted upon wheels, so as to run on temporary rails laid along the face of the bank to be cut down. Above and upon this base-frame is a rotary platform or turn-table, upon which is mounted a boiler and engine, and an inclined derrickframe from which the ladder or support for the chain of buckets is suspended, the lower end of the latter falling'outside the platform and adapted for adjustment relatively to the bank. The earth, sand, or other material is excavated by the buckets, carried up, and discharged by a backward delivery down a chute and into a suspended hopper beneath which a cart or wagon may be driven. The machine may thus be moved along the face of the bank in excavating, while the suspended buckets may be adjusted relatively thereto from the platform.

For a full comprehension of my invention reference must be made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my machine complete. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the discharge-chute and jointed delivery-hopper. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the endless chain of buckets.

In these drawings, A represents the bedframe of the machine, constructed of timbers and having wheels or trucks B, adapted to run upon a temporary track B laid along the face of the bank.

C is a rotary platform or turn-table centrally pivoted at C in the bed-frame and provided with or resting upon rollers 61. a-that is, the rollers may be journaled in the bedframe, as shown, or may be connected to and travel with the turn-table.

D and E are respectively a boiler and engine mounted upon the turn-table to furnish power for driving the excavating-buckets.

F is a fixed derrick-frame composed of parallel timbers secured to the platform C and projecting up in an inclined direction beyond its edge. This frame is supported by abrace b, and is further braced by a diagonal tie-rod 0, extending from its upper end to the farther edge of the turn-table and having a turnbuckle o, for putting it under tension.

Near the outer end of the derrick F is pivoted the ladder G, composed of two parallel timbers, which swing freely from the derrick. At the bottom of the latter is a bearing d for a transverse shaft d on which are mounted sprocket-wheels e for the endless chains ff, to which the buckets H are bolted or riveted. The chains pass over similar sprocket-wheels c at the top of the ladder, mounted upon a lateral shaft g. Cables h, connected to the ladder, pass over sheaves 'i at the extremity of the derrick and from there extend to a winch j on the engine platform. By this means the buckets may be forced toward and held against the bank during the process of excavation.

I represents a series of knives secured to the chains f alternately with the buckets H, Fig. 3, and extending a little beyond their cutting-edges. Their purpose is to make a cut in advance of each bucket, and thus to some extent loosen the earth and facilitate the work of the bucket following. The book ets are driven from the engine-shaft by any suitable form of gearing. Iprefer, however, to use a sprocket-chain g as shown, extending from the engine-shaft g to the powershaft 9' and thence to the shaft g near the end of the derrick. 'No detailed description of such gearing is required, as its construction forms no part of my invention.

The earth, sand, or other material is conveyed up by the buckets and delivered by each, successively, backward into an inclined chute J, bolted between the parallel timbers of the derrick. This chute terminates in an them to slip sufficiently upon one another to allow of a considerable movement of the lower section in any direction. By this manner of delivering and discharging the materiall economize space byutilizing the space between the excavator and the platform for carts w, and I am also enabled to dispense with 'the movable discharging apron or draper generally employed and with the gearing, connections, and power required to operate such apron.

That I claim is In an excavator, the combination of a rotary engine platform, an inclined derrick projecting above and beyond said platform, a suspended adjustable chain of buckets, a chute upon said derrick, terminating in a hopper, and a flexible telescopic discharge-pipe suspended below said hopper between the platform and the chain of buckets, substantiallyas described.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in the presence of Witnesses, the 12th day of May, 1891.

CHARLES A. \VARREN.

\Vitnesses:

E. II. TI-IARP, E. MALLEY. 

